Comparative Alumni Research 2011 Update Overall Comparison: Lutheran Colleges to Flagship Public...

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Comparative Alumni Research 2011 Update

Overall Comparison:

Lutheran Colleges to Flagship Public Universities

Lutheran Educational Conference of North America

December 2011

Alumni Research Update

Purpose:

• refresh and maintain credibility of LECNA comparative alumni research

• addition of 1995-2006 graduates to alumni database along with public sector graduates

• update the total years presented to 1980-2006 graduates

This presentation shows significant changes between recent and older graduates as well as significant differences between the total (all years) Lutheran college alumni and Flagship public alumni.

Study Methodology

• Study conducted by Hardwick~Day using new LECNA colleges alumni interviews and interviews held in an alumni database

• 21-24 minute telephone interviews conducted August 30-November 15, 2011

• Graduates of graduating classes 1980-2006 from four-year institutions

Comparisons will be made between 1980-94 and 1995-2006 graduates when significant changes have occurred

• Interviews are proportioned to be representative of the average enrollment over the study years with:

– 701 alumni of LECNA colleges and universities 407 1980-1994 294 1995-2006

And a public university group:

– 573 alumni of national “flagship” public universities 372 1980-1994 201 1995-2006

Study Methodology

• The margin of sampling error differs by group and between groups according to sample size, but can be generally summarized as:

- LECNA Colleges and Universities

Total: +/-3.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level

1980-94 +/-4.951990-06 +/-5.8

- Flagship Public Universities

Total: +/-4.2 1980-94 +/-5.2 1990-06 +/-7.0

• Throughout this presentation, when there are significant differences between the timeframes (1980-94 and 1995-2006), the differences will be shown by an arrow.

• When there are differences between the LECNA Colleges and the Flagship Public Universities in total, the higher number will be shown with an “S.”

The College Experience

Graduates of Lutheran Colleges continue to be consistently more likely to experience many aspects of interaction with faculty and students than graduates of Flagship Public Universities.

34% 35% 34%

90%91%

All years 1980-1994 1995-2006 All years 1980-1994 1995-2006

Lutheran college alumni Flagship public alumni

Many Small Classes with Fewer than 20 Students

Q.1 Please tell me how much you personally benefited from your college offering …(rating a 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=did not benefit at all, and 5=benefited very much)

S = Significant difference between Lutheran college alumni and Flagship public alumni

78% 76% 80%92%

High Quality, Teaching-Oriented Faculty

77% 77% 77%

97% 97%

A Majority of Classes Taught by Professors

49% 48% 52%

82%85%

Professors Who Challenged, But Helped Meet Those Challenges

Q. 2 How much did your college experience include the following? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=never, and 5=always)

58% 56%63%

70%72%

Friendships Developed from Classroom Experiences

44% 44% 44%

86%87%

Faculty Were Interested in Students Personally as Well as Academically

Q.12 How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree)

59% 57%63%

85% 85%

There Was a Sense of Community Among Students

Recent graduates of Lutheran Colleges were more likely than their older peers to experience some aspects of interaction with faculty and students.

63% 62%68%

83%87%

Found a Mentor in College

Q. 4 Who, if anyone, did you meet at your college who was a mentor or role model for you?

= Significantly higher than previous years

48% 45%54%

70%76%

Professor Was a Mentor in College

Q. 4 Who, if anyone, did you meet at your college who was a mentor or role model for you?

34% 31%38%

67%73%

Conversations with Professors Outside of Class

43% 39% 38% 42%50%

Student Presentations in Class

For classroom structure and teaching style, the gap has only widened between the Lutheran Colleges and the Public Universities.

50%60%

56%65%

45% 38%

Classes Taught Primarily in a Lecture Format

= Significantly lower than previous years

32%26%

The Use of Teaching Assistants in the Classroom

There are some areas where the ratings went up for both groups of graduates, perhaps showing that the public sector acknowledges the importance of these variables.

51%46%

Extensive Classroom Discussions

61%56%

90%95%

Personal Interaction with Professors

S = Significant difference between Lutheran college alumni and Flagship public alumni = Significantly higher than

previous years

30%25%

69%73%

The Integration of Values and Ethics in Classroom Discussions

48%43%

55%51%

Classes that Included the Perspectives of Women and Minorities

37% 34%29%

44%42%

Informal Student Study Groups

For some aspects of interaction with faculty and students, recent Public University graduates report experiences more like those of graduates of Lutheran Colleges. Their percentages have increased, while those of the Lutheran Colleges have remained steady.

84%79% 75%

85%86%88%

Interaction with Other Students With Shared Interests

42%37%

83%85%

An Emphasis on Personal Values and Ethics

63% 59%

71%77%80%

A Good Balance Between Academics and Social and Personal Development

Active Participation

Participation is higher for recent graduates of Lutheran Colleges and Flagship Public Universities on some activities.

61%51% 47%

58%64%68%

Involved in Volunteer or Community Service Activities

Q. 6A Were you involved in any of the following? Q.6B Did you have any leadership role in…?

Had a leadership role:

30% 24%18%33% 20%31% S

16%11% 9%

15%20%24%

Participated in International Study

Q. 5 While in college, did you participate in…?

Graduates of Lutheran Colleges continue to be consistently more likely to participate in co-curricular and extra-curricular experiences than graduates of Flagship Public Universities.

39% 37%42%

57%60%

Participated in a College-Sponsored Internship

52% 49%56%

39% 39% 41%

Involvement in Academic Clubs and Activities

Q. 6A Were you involved in any of the following?

Participated in Off-Campus Study*

Q. 5 While in college, did you participate in…?* includes international study and other off-campus study experiences

48% 46% 50%

27% 25%32%

35% 34% 36%

17% 18%14%

Involved in Music or Theatre Performance

26% 27% 25%

9% 9% 9%

Involved in Varsity Athletics

22% 19%27%

37% 36%

Participated in Tutoring Other Students

28% 31%23%

13% 14% 10%

Involved in Campus Publications or Student Government

Financing the College Education

The use of grants, student loans, and work to finance the college education have gone up for recent graduates of Lutheran Colleges, while remaining steady for Public Universities’ graduates. However, this does not seem to have an impact on the 4-year graduation rate among these graduates.

Student Was Primarily Responsible for Paying for College

Q. 16 Not including any grant or scholarship sponsors, who was primarily responsible for paying for your college education?

46% 43%50% 49% 48% 49%

75%69%

53% 52% 54%

Received a Scholarship or Grant to Attend College

Q. 13 Did you receive a scholarship or grant to attend college?

70% 66%75%

47% 48% 46%

Took Out Loans to Attend College

Q. 14 Did you take out loans to attend college? Q.15 Were the loans a good investment on your part?

Loan was a good investment:*

98% 92% 93% 95%95% 94%

Median: $22K

Median: $20K

Student Usually Worked During College School Year

Q. 17 Were you usually working during the college school year?

75% 72%80%

71% 69% 73%

73% 73% 72%

47% 46% 49%

Graduated in Four Years or Less

Q. 18 How many years did it take for you to complete your undergraduate degree?

Satisfaction

54% 51%57%

39% 38% 41%

“Completely Satisfied” with Quality of Education

Q. 7 How satisfied are you with the overall quality of the education you received from your college? (Rating 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=not at all satisfied, and 5=completely satisfied)

“Satisfied” (4 or 5): 91% 88%83%94% 85%92%S

70% 66%

62% 60%66%

Their College Was Effective in Helping Them Be Prepared for their First Job

Q.10 How effective was your college in helping you develop the following? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=not at all effective and 5=extremely effective)

58% 55%63%

55% 53%61%

Their College Was Effective in Helping Them Be Prepared for Career Change or Advancement

Effectiveness of College in Developing Important Skills

Graduates of Lutheran Colleges gave higher effectiveness ratings than Public University graduates to their alma mater in helping them develop a variety of skills. In some cases, there has been significantly higher ratings among recent Lutheran Colleges graduates.

71% 67%76%

58% 55%63%

More Effective in Helping Them to Be Leaders

78% 74%84%

69% 66%74%

More Effective in Helping Them to Work as Part of a Team

82% 79%86%

76% 76% 77%

More Effective in Helping Them to Think Analytically

76% 74%79%

54% 53% 56%

Their College Was Effective in Helping Them Have a Sense of Purpose in Life

Although effectiveness ratings for Lutheran Colleges are higher overall, for some skills, Public Universities have been given higher ratings by recent graduates, narrowing the gap.

81% 79%84%

69%65%

More Effective in Helping Them to Write Effectively

76% 73%79%

61% 57%

More Effective in Helping Them to Speak Effectively

63% 61% 65%

50% 46%

More Effective in Helping Them to Place Problems in Social and Historical Perspective

78% 80%76%

37%31%

Their College Was Effective in Helping Them Develop Moral Principles that Can Guide Actions

Importance of Actions in Current Life

Graduates of Lutheran Colleges gave higher importance ratings than Public University graduates on several attributes relating to their current life and career.

Recent graduates of both sectors place higher importance on being well-off financially.

93% 93% 91%87% 87% 87%

It is Important in Current Life and Career to Be Free to Consider the Moral and

Ethical Sides of Decisions

Q.19 How important [in your current life and career] is it to you to…? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=not at all important and 5=extremely important)

72% 74%70% 66% 64%

It is Important in Current Life and Career to Promote Racial Equality or

Other Social Justice Issues

65% 61%70%

53% 49%59%

It is Important in Current Life and Career to Affiliate with Organizations that Help the Disadvantaged

85% 85% 85% 84% 84% 83%

It is Important in Current Life and Career to Raise a Family

56% 53%61%

69% 66%75%

It is Important in Current Life and Career to Be Well-Off Financially

Church and Religious Activities

• While in college and in their current life, church appears to have a lesser role for recent graduates

• Lutheran College graduates do remain more likely than Flagship Public University graduates to be involved

• Among recent graduates, involvement with community organizations and K-12 schools is also down

58%63%

32% 33% 30%

Involvement in Church or Religious Activities While in College

Their College Helped Them Integrate Faith into their Daily Lives

15% 13%19%

53% 49%

79%86%

69%59%

Q.20 In the past five years, have you been involved in the volunteer activity, that is donating time or money to church or religious organizations?

Involved in Past Five Years With Church or Religious Organizations

75% 77%72%

57% 60%52%

It is Important in Current Life and Career to Integrate Faith or Spirituality in Life

74% 77%69% 69% 70% 66%

Q.20 In the past five years, have you been involved in the volunteer activity, that is donating time or money to foundations or not-for-profit community organizations?

Involvement in Past Five Years With Foundations or Non-Profit Community Organizations

55%63%

44% 45%53%

Q.20 In the past five years, have you been involved in the volunteer activity, that is donating time or money to elementary or secondary schools?

Involvement in Past Five Years With Elementary or Secondary Schools

Comparative Alumni Research 2011 Update Overall Comparison: Lutheran Colleges to Flagship Public...

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